Sunday, June 30, 2013

Mock Newbery 2014 Club Summer Meeting #1

Our first summer Mock Newbery 2014 Club meeting was so fun! I loved that we had a great turnout on a cloudy June day. We caught up with each other's summers so far. We all agreed that it is going too fast! Some kids have gone on great vacations, so we shared stories of those trips. I loved that everyone brought the books they were reading and have read, and many shared. Here are some books we talked about:

Lindsay and I LOVED this book and both gave it 5 stars!

Adam has this in his stack of library books. We are both looking forward to reading it! The cover is so eye-catching!

Tyler read this one and said it was really funny. He gave us a summary on it, but no spoilers! :-)

Since I was in the middle of this one, I shared it and made Ava really mad that I wouldn't give it to her yet since I wasn't finished. I knew she'd be excited about a new Wendy Mass book!

Quinn is reading this one. I was excited she was reading it because I wanted to hear if it has "kid appeal." I loved it, but I hadn't "kid tested" it yet. She'll let us know her final thoughts next month, I hope! Speaking of "kid appeal," Stephen suggested kid readers should be on the Newbery Committee. I agree! I think it should take all my Mock Newbery Club kids! :-)

This is another book I loved, but I hadn't given it to any kids yet. Stephen is in the middle of it, gave a summary of it so far, and said he really liked it. He thought it might not appeal to all kids, but to kids who love reading, it would. He thought it had beautiful language.

Maggie was excited about Clare Vanderpool because she's reading:

One of things we're doing is reading former Newbery Award winners and honors so we can determine what characteristics we think the Newbery committee is looking for. Maggie is enjoying this one.

Another former Newbery winner several kids have been reading and enjoying is:

I always recommend Okay For Now after kids get done with this one. It's a companion novel, and I like it even more than Wednesday Wars! That's saying a lot because I LOVED Wednesday Wars!

Other former Newbery books kids were reading or have read this summer include:

Lauren said she emotionally connected to the characters in this book!

Kaleigh is reading this one. This was one of my favorites when I was in fifth or sixth grade!

Here are some more 2013 books we discussed:

Calynn told us about this one, and I think it sounds great! The reviews are terrific.

Jackson read this one, and now Emma is reading it. It's about a boy who stutters. I'm looking forward to reading it.

At the very end, I shared this one - it hasn't come out yet (September), but I got it from Kate Messner, and it's signed to our class!! I really liked it - it's science fiction - creepy and exciting! It's going to fly around my club!

I finished this one on vacation and LOVED it. I want all my students to read it!

We talked about some other books that aren't 2013 OR Newbery books, but that's ok. Whenever we get together, we can talk about ANY books! Abby F. is rereading Harry Potter. It's one of those masterpieces that never won the Newbery, but we all love it anyway, right? I've always wanted to reread the whole series. Maybe one day...

Abby M. told us about:

We will meet again in July and once more in August before school starts. I can't wait to talk more about books with these kids. They are so full of enthusiasm!

"One child, one teacher, one pen and one book can change the world." - Malala Yousafzai

"It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge." - Albert Einstein

"It is not often that someone comes along who is a true friend and a good writer. " - E.B. White, Charlotte's Web

"We read to know we are not alone." - C.S. Lewis

"Faith includes noticing the mess, the emptiness and discomfort, and letting it be there until some light returns." - Anne Lamott

"The best moments in reading are when you come across something - a thought, a feeling, a way of looking at things - that you'd thought special, particular to you. And here it is, set down by someone else, a person you've never met, maybe even someone long dead. And it's as if a hand has come out, and taken yours." - The History Boys

"We're only in control of two things: how we prepare for what might happen, and how we respond to what just happened. The moment when things actually do happen, belongs to God." - DeVon Franklin